BOSTON, Mass. -- The Simmons University crew team's first varsity eight placed 22nd at the 55th edition of the historic Head of the Charles Regatta on the Charles River in Boston/Cambridge, Mass. 

The Sharks turned in a time of 1:22.299 to finish just behind Saint Lawrence University by just over a second. Simmons passed both Stockton University and Jefferson University and nearly made up a nine-second deficit to Saint Lawrence after trailing at the first marker. The Sharks were agressive through the final two checkpoints, rowing faster than five boats ahead of them with a combined time of 7:53.6 through the final two points, including a time of 4:51.292 from the second to the third check point, to gain ground on seven boats ahead of them.

Junior Samantha Kelsey (Salt Lake City, Utah) paced Simmons from the stroke seat ahead of sophomore Emily Niemi (Santa Clarita, Calif.), junior Steffi Gaehde (Brookline, Mass.), sophomore Maude Elovitz (Lake Oswego, Ore.), senior Kellie Cann (Needham, Mass.), first year Paige Loskill (Commerce, Mich.), seniors Sabrina Belozerova (Newton, Mass.) and Hannah Dike (Leominster, Mass.). Senior Ally Fecteau (Burlington, Conn.) directed the Sharks from the coxswain seat.

Simmons returns to the water on Saturday, October 26 when it competes at the Wormtown Chase Regatta on Lake Quinsigamond in Worcester, Mass.